COMDEX - Startup's C++ tool speeds Web applications

LAS VEGAS - Software startup Rivar Technologies Inc. launched a new tool for developers here this week that allows them to embed C++ code into their Web pages, resulting in applications that perform much quicker for end users, the company said.

Most Web pages are written using HTML (hypertext markup language) and handle the interaction between visitors and databases with languages like Perl, Java or Microsoft Corp.'s Active Server Pages (ASP). While those languages get the job done, they rely on an additional layer of software for tasks like generating forms, processing transactions or authenticating users.

Rivar's product, called Code:Neo, lets developers write C++ code alongside their HTML and then compile the program into binary objects that are executed directly by servers when a user requests information, said Gene Savar, Rivar's chief executive officer and co-founder.

Because the programs interact directly with servers, they perform much faster than traditional Web applications, according to Savar, who claimed the improvements would be "at least tenfold."

"You get the power of C++ in the middle of a Web page," he said. "This goes back to allowing very powerful programming for the Internet."

The product has two components: a development tool and an application server, and is available now priced at US$999 per server. The company said it's offering the software for free evaluation, although a message on Rivar's Web site Thursday says it's not currently available for download.

One developer here seemed impressed by the ability to combine HTML and C++ in a single environment, but noted that the Rivar will be competing for mindshare with products from Microsoft Corp. and others. "A huge number of developers use Microsoft Active Server Pages," said Riley Wheeler Major, a developer with Manna Freight Systems of Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

The product will also compete with Microsoft's upcoming ASP.Net tool, as well as Macromedia Inc.'s ColdFusion Web server, he said.

Savar is unfazed. He maintained that Web pages written with Code:Neo will perform better, allowing businesses to get more out of their Web servers and reduce the wait for end users.

Rivar Technologies, in Clearwater, Florida, can be contacted at +1-727-724-1305, and on the Web at www.rivar.com.

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